This Rose Has Lost It's Thorns
by Berrie Salamander
Summary: On her twenty first birthday, Rose is given an opportunity she'd be mad to turn down: kiss twenty one people in as many days, and she'll get a large inheritance. Written for the 21 Kisses Challenge on HPFC.
1. Chapter 1

I have written this for the 21 kisses challenge on HPFC. By the way, the dialogue in italics at the start of each chapter is a flashback from Rose's sixth year, and they are part of the central plot. :)

This Rose Has Lost It's Thorns

" _What are you doing here Al? Shouldn't you be with your precious best friend?"_

" _He's not my best friend anymore, Rose, I assure you."_

" _Why not? He was still your best friend after he cheated on me, so what has he possibly done that's worse?"_

" _He's cheated on Lily as well."_

" _Who's he going out with now?"_

" _Carin Somersby." _

Three weeks; just three, small weeks. How hard could this be?

" You do realise, don't you Rose, that you're going to look like a complete slut at the end of all this?" says my boyfriend, the charming Charlie Duharmen.

" Well, I can just explain to them why I'm doing it, and then there will be no mix ups," I assure him.

He sighs and sinks low into the sofa, still eyeing me apprehensively. I can tell he's worried. Worried that if I spend three weeks kissing a bunch of other men, then I'll fall for one of them and leave Charlie to rot in our hole of a flat. And that's exactly why I'm doing this. Because, if I kiss twenty-one people in the same amount of days, then we will get a large sum of money. And we need money. I'm still training to be an Auror, and they don't pay you much to train for a job. Charlie, meanwhile, is working in my uncle George's shop, but it's only part time. A large inheritance would be very useful.

This whole kissing thing began this morning. Today, by the way, is my twenty first birthday.

" Happy birthday Rosie!"

Slowly, I opened one eye. Then the other. Charlie's face came gradually into focus, only just visible in the small light coming through the gap in the curtains. He was beaming at me, and in his hands was a card and present.

" Oh, thanks Charlie," I said, and I took the present and card out of his hands. My gift from him this year was a beautiful locket adorned with an ornate 'R'.

" That is beautiful," I told him. " Thank you."

And I leant over and kissed him. My first kiss of the day.

" And here all the gifts and cards from everyone else," he added, grabbing them from under the bed. " And your breakfast in bed will be arriving shortly. Happy twenty first."

I gave him a brief smile, and turned my attention on the substantial pile of presents and the even larger pile of cards. They were from the usual crowd; my parents, Hugo, all my cousins, my friends, even one from the other trainee Auror, Robin. There was just one card left. The envelope was yellowing; it looked about twenty years old. But my name was on it, so I opened it. Instead of a card, a piece of parchment fell out. I picked it up and began scanning it.

" What does it say?" Charlie asked me.

" '_Dear Rose,'" _I began. " _' In the wizarding world I know so little about, you come of age at seventeen. I, on the other hand, still firmly believe that you are not an adult until your twenty first birthday. And what is your present from me, Rose? £200,000. I'm not sure what that is in 'wizard money', but I expect it's still quite a lot. However, there's a catch. To get the money, you must kiss twenty-one people in twenty-one days. I feel that it's a good way for you to be initiated into the adult world._

_Happy Birthday!_

_Love from,_

_Your great aunt, Jennifer Granger'_"

I was slightly lost for words. I looked over at Charlie and found him staring, open mouthed, at the piece of parchment.

" Well…" I said after a while. " Do you think I should… go through with it?"

" You could," he shrugged. " Do you suppose it's a hoax? Have you ever met your Great Aunt Jennifer?"

" Once or twice," I replied. " The first time was when I was five, and mum had only just told her that she was a witch. She wanted to see what real witches and wizards looked like. The second time was Hugo's twelfth birthday party. She's very traditional."

" I can tell," Charlie grinned. " We could do with a bit of extra cash."

" A _bit_ of extra cash?" I repeated incredulously. " She's offering us £200,000! Although I'm not sure what that's worth in Galleons…"

" We'll find out when you get the money," said Charlie suddenly.

" _When_? So we're definitely going through with this?" I asked him. " It's not going to be weird at all?"

" It will be extremely weird," he assured me. " But we do need the money, and there just small, meaningless kisses. How hard can it be?"

" But how will she know that I've kissed twenty one different people?" I added.

" Um… doesn't your mum have that pensieve? You can borrow the pensieve, invite your Great Aunt Jennifer to our flat, and show her the memories of you kissing twenty one people!" he suggested.

" I guess that could work," I said eventually. " All right, I'll do it."

Charlie beamed at me. I returned to staring at the parchment.

" Oh, and you can have your first kiss now," he said after a long silence, and he leant over and kissed me on the lips. His kisses are always pretty rough, and brash, and they're always over really quickly, but I don't mind. He drew his lips away after only a few seconds, but it's enough.

And now we're in the living room, preparing to go to the 'surprise' party James and Fred have been planning at the Burrow.

" Ready to go?" I ask Charlie, and he stands up immediately.

" Ready," he replies. " And remember Rose – you've already kissed me today, there's no need to start kissing other guys just yet."

" Don't worry, I won't," I say. " Come on, we'll go by Floo Powder."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter; I'm glad you all liked it :) Anyway, on with the second chapter… who will she kiss this time? Oooh, suspense… Well, actually, I'll give you a clue: a split second of cousincest.

" _Hey Rose, there's someone I want you to meet!"_

" _Really? Who?"_

" _This guy!"_

" _That's Charlie. I know who he is already. He's in our year, remember?"_

" _Yeah, but he's my new best friend!"_

" _You get a new best friend that quickly? Sometimes you are so like your brother…"_

" _Sorry?"_

" _Nothing…"_

I let Charlie go first. He climbs into the fireplace, and takes a load of the powder.

" The Burrow!" he shouts, and disappears in a rush of green flames. I give him a minute, so that he can inform the others of my imminent arrival. Then, I took some of the powder myself. I drop it in the fire, and the flames rise up all around me.

" The Burrow!" I cry, and then I'm zooming along past various wizard fireplaces, catches glimpses of rooms beyond, hearing snatches of conversation, before I finally come out on the hearth of the fireplace of the Burrow kitchen. I stand up, smooth the ash off my dress, turn around and -

" SURPRISE!"

I laugh at the sight of my family and friends, all crowded in the kitchen, their arms out wide, beaming at me.

" Happy birthday Rose!" cries James, and this statement is echoed about the room.

" I bet you didn't expect this!" adds Lily, and I agree with her, even though Hugo accidentally let it slip a couple of weeks ago.

" Rose?"

I look round, and my parents are standing right beside me, wide smiles on their faces.

" Did you get our present?" mum asks.

" Yes I did, thanks," I reply, and I hug both of them. " I got a present from Great Aunt Jennifer as well."

" Who?" says my dad. Mum glares at him.

" My Aunt Jennie, she's visited a couple of times," she tells him, then turns back to me. " What did she give you?"

" £200,000," I say, and mum's eyes widen. " But at a price of my own. She won't give it to me unless I kiss twenty one different people in twenty one days,"

My mum laughs. " That old witch… well, quite the opposite actually," she pauses.

" Your aunt's forcing this on Rose because she's never been kissed herself," adds my dad.

" How do you know? You didn't even remember I had an aunt until I reminded you a couple of minutes ago!"

Dad opens his mouth to retort, and I walk away from them, sensing another Ron and Hermione argument looming. While I was talking to my parents, the party got into full swing. I join Charlie, Albus and Lynne, Albus's girlfriend.

" Why do you look so glum Rosie?" Albus asks me. " It's your birthday party, after all. Or are you upset that you're so old now that you're twenty one?"

" No," I say. " Just because you're dreading turning twenty one in May doesn't mean everyone else is scared of ageing."

He pouts for a split second, but soon brightens up. " I'm not scared. By the way, you didn't answer my question. Why are you looking so down?"

I quickly explain to him about the challenge given to me by my mum's Aunt Jennie, and the rewards at the end of it.

" Really? Wow, I don't envy you one bit," he tells me, which doesn't exactly get me all enthusiastic about it.

Just then, James stands up on the kitchen table, accompanied by his girlfriend Cherry and Fred.

" Speech!" he cries, and its ridiculous how much he acts like he's drunk a bottle of firewhisky when in fact the last time he had an alcoholic drink was in his seventh year.

" Come on Rose! Speech!" adds Cherry.

Everyone around the room cries " Speech!" Someone turns down the music that's been blaring in the background. Everyone looks at me expectantly. I clear my throat.

" Um," I begin. " Thank you for coming, everyone… and thanks for all the cards and presents… by the way… and, if you are on the receiving end of a kiss from me in the next couple of days, then please don't be alarmed. I'm just doing it for some money."

Everyone's staring at me with blank expressions. I laugh nervously.

" Well, I'll explain it properly if I do kiss you," I shrug. " You'll probably get too drunk at this party to remember this speech anyway. Turn the music back up!"

The music begins to play again, and everyone takes their eyes off of me. I re-join Charlie, who is clutching a glass of firewhisky and talking happily with Albus and Lynne. I leave them to it.

" Wake up Rose…"

The first thing when I wake up is my watch. It's half nine in the morning. I have work tomorrow. Not that I have a hangover; I only had one glass of Butterbeer. Strong for House-elves, not humans. The next thing I see is Al, standing right over me. I sit up so fast I get a head rush.

" Morning Al," I say eventually. " Where's Charlie?"

" He's asleep in the kitchen with the rest of the people who drank way too much last night," he replies with a sigh.

" Does that include Lynne?"

" No, she's sleeping in my mum's old bedroom; I have a sensible girlfriend."

It's then that I decide, on a spur of the moment type thing, to kiss my own cousin. Yes, that's right. My own cousin. Just a quick peck, but it's enough for him to stumble backwards, a look of shock on his face. Then, his expression clears, because he's remembered what I told him last night. We both hear someone clear their throat. Lynne's standing in the doorway, a weird look on her face.

" Oh yeah," she's after a while. " The whole kissing thing, I forgot."

And she walks out. There's a slightly uncomfortable silence.

" I'm going to have breakfast," Al mumbles, and he too leaves.


	3. Chapter 3

Again, thanks for all the reviews :) I believe it is time for a little Scorpius, no?

" Rose…"

" _Yes? Oh. It's you."_

" _Come on Rosie, don't be like that."_

" _I have every reason to be 'like that', and don't call me Rosie."_

" _I heard you're dating Duharmen now. Is that true?"_

" _Maybe, but why should you care?"_

" _I was just wondering."_

Soon after the 'incident' with Albus, as he calls it, Charlie and I went back to our flat. I told him that I'd kissed someone already that day, so that he didn't suddenly go into a panic about potentially not getting a load of money, and when I told him who I'd kissed, he laughed.

" Why'd you do that? Poor Al…"

Right now, I'm just about to apparate to the Ministry, for another day of hard training before I can become a proper Auror. I've got my Stealth and Tracking Test soon. Charlie's still in bed, fast asleep. He doesn't have to work today, lucky thing. He begins to stir, so I quickly disapparate.

As soon as I hit the floor of the Atrium, I'm greeted by various witches and wizards.

" Morning Rose!"

" Hello, Miss Weasley."

" Did you have a good birthday?"

" It was great, thanks," I reply to Sophie Parker, an old school friend of mine and former girlfriend of Al's. " How are you?"

" All right," she sighs. " I mean, I've got a _ton_ of paper work to do today, which I'm not looking forward to, and then I've got to attend some trial in court room ten, and I'll be on my own as usual, because Benjy's taken the day off sick _again_ – but other than that, I'm good. How are you?"

" Dreading the next three weeks," I tell her. " Well, have fun without Benjy Finnigan. Most people do. I'm joking!" I add hastily, seeing the look of shock on Sophie's face.

I leave her standing by the fountain and make my way to the lifts. More people say hello to me. I don't even know half of them. They just know me because I'm a Weasley.

As the lift moves upwards, my mind drifts back to the challenge my mum's aunt has set me. What was she thinking? Couldn't she just give me the money and say " Happy birthday"? Apparently not. My dad calls it the Granger gene, and says I've inherited it.

" You haven't run away from me yet? You're getting unobservant in your old age, Weasley…"

I freeze. I can feel my stomach dropping. I was so wrapped up in that challenge, I didn't look to see who I was in the lift with. Slowly, I turn round. My cheeks go hot in anger. There he is, standing casually at the back of the lift, a wide, cold smile on his face. Scorpius Malfoy.

" Please don't talk to me," I snap.

" Lots of people say hello to you, why can't I?" he retorts.

" Because I don't like you."

" Wow. That's harsh. Not as harsh as the time you said you hated me, though, but also…" he pauses, lifts his chin up, and his grey eyes meet my brown ones. " Not as great as the time you said you _liked_ me. Fancied me."

He just had to bring it up didn't he?

" Hate's a strong word, but maybe I meant it. You're a special case," I tell him. " And now I'm going to get out of this lift, and you're going to leave me alone. Why are you here anyway?" I add, letting my curiosity get the better of me.

" I'm looking for a job," he replies. " Maybe I'll try and sign up to be a trainee Auror."

He grins at the glare on my face.

" Or maybe not, seeing as I didn't get 'the required NEWTs," he says. " But I am still looking for a job. And I think I'll get one, don't you? Wouldn't it be great, if we both worked at the Ministry, and could see each other every day? Just like when we were at Hogwarts."

The lifts clatter open, and I quickly exit, but not before giving Scorpius one last, reproachful look. I hurry down the corridor, towards the entrance to the Auror office, thinking about the amount of work I have to today, hoping that it will take my mind off the Malfoy scum.

" Good morning Rose," says Robin as I enter the office. " Did you get my card and present?"

" Yes, I did thanks," I reply. I know what will take my mind off Scorpius. I walk up to Robin, who's sitting at his incredibly messy desk, already sipping a cup of tea. I crouch down so that my face is level with his, before leaning over and kissing him on the mouth. For a second, he kisses back, but then he suddenly just pushes me gently away. He looks shocked, much the same way as Al did yesterday. Do I have this effect with all men?

" What was that all about?" he gasps.

" It's my way of saying thanks for the birthday present," I shrug.

" I'd prefer a note," he says weakly.

I smile. " Maybe next year."

He shifts awkwardly in his seat, before clearing his throat and saying: " You're welcome."

Three down, eighteen to go. How hard can this be?


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again for all the reviews :) The fourth kiss, and who will it be today? Suspense…**

"You kissed that little weedy guy Robin?" laughs Charlie. "I bet his reaction was hilarious…"

It's the evening, and I came home from work about three hours ago. I've just finished telling Charlie all about my day – including who I kissed.

"Don't call him 'that weedy guy'!" I snap. "You've known him since your first day at Hogwarts! You shared a dormitory for seven years! But yes, his reaction was a little funny… what more would you have expected? How would you react if… if someone you work with kissed you?"

Charlie pulls a face. "I'd be very worried, since I work with your uncle."

I sigh as I collapse on the sofa. It's been a long day.

"Are you all right Rose?" he adds. "You look really pale. Are you being over worked?"

"No, I'm fine," I say. I'm not going to tell him about seeing Scorpius today. He would completely over react.

"That's good," he sighs. "Hey, who do you think you'll kiss tomorrow?"

"I have no idea," I admit. "There are plenty of guys in my department, but they're all loads older than me, except for Robin, and I've already kissed him."

"Oh. Well, I'll see what I can do. Do you want me to go and grab the next twenty one year old I see and invite them over?"

"Please do," I reply. "Charlie, don't worry, I'll find someone."

But Charlie has suddenly stood up, and he looks very happy with himself for some reason.

"I have an idea!" he declares.

"Okay…" I say after a while. "And what, may I ask, is that idea?"

"You'll find out tomorrow!" he says with a smile, and sits back down.

I hate it when people don't tell me what their ideas are. Dad says that mum did it all the time when they were at school, and actually she still does it from time to time. It's the one thing I haven't inherited from her.

It's another day of work, and I have to marvel at how slow this week is going. Its as though time knows that I want these weeks to go as quickly as possible, and its doing the exact opposite!

"Hello Rose!"

"Good morning Rose!"

"We meet again, Rosie."

Oh, _great_. I turn around and, sure enough, Scorpius is behind me. But he's not alone. Robin's with him, looking slightly scared of Scorpius as though they were back at school again.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" I snap.

"Oh, come now, Rose, I believe we're on first name terms?" he says with a smirk.

"Alright. What do you want, _Scorpius_?"

"Robin here tells me that you kissed him yesterday. How come? Have you and Charlie broken up?" he asks, sounding almost hopeful.

"You wish," I reply. "I kissed him because I had to."

"You didn't have to!" squeaks Robin suddenly.

"It was a thank you, remember?" I ask him, staying clear of the truth, because if Scorpius knew, I wouldn't hear the end of it.

"Is that how you thank people?" says Scorpius gleefully. "Well then, I better get you a late present."

"I'd throw it away."

"Fine," he sighs. "I better go for my next interview. See you later Robin, Rosie. Ha! Robin and Rosie… has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

He walks calmly away, laughing at his own joke. I make my way towards the lifts, saying nothing to Robin.

"Guess what Rose, guess what?"

"What, Charlie?"

"No, guess."

"You've won a million galleons?"

"No! Lysander's coming round for dinner tonight. He should be here in about ten minutes!"

"Why is Lysander – oh…"

Comprehension dawns on my face, and Charlie grins.

"Well, since you didn't kiss anyone today, I decided to find someone for you," he explains. "I've told him about your challenge, and he's fine with it."

"Oh, that's good," I say, relieved that I don't have to explain to yet another boy why I just kissed him. Hopefully Lysander's reaction will be better than Al's or Robin's.

All through dinner, Lysander was looking a little nervous, as though expecting a kiss at any minute, but I don't kiss him until right near the end.

"Well, bye Lysander," says Charlie as Lysander approaches the front door.

"Yeah, bye," I add. "It was lovely to see you."

"Lovely to see you too," he smiles. "Thanks for dinner. Bye…"

But he pauses in the doorway, looking at me expectantly.

"Don't worry Lysander, I didn't forget," I laugh, and I rush over to him and give him a swift kiss on the lips. And he doesn't flinch, probably because he was expecting it.

"I hope you get that money after all this," he assures me, and then he leaves.

As soon as he's gone, I approach Charlie, and give him a much more lingering kiss on the lips.

"Thanks for arranging that for me," I say.

"Don't mention it. What are good boyfriends for?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again :) Thanks for all the reviews/story alerts/favourites, it's a great ego-booster ;) I am so excited about part 2 (me and most other people), I'm going to see it on Sunday. Anyway, back to the story…

Charlie has helped me in more than one way. Not only did he get me a guy to kiss yesterday, the person he got for me has provided me with inspiration for the next person.

So today I'm going into work in a much better mood than I did yesterday. Not only do I have someone to kiss, as long as I see him, but Scorpius has no reason to be here today. I haven't felt this good since my birthday.

"Rose!"

I look around, and Lily is hurrying over to me, a huge grin on her face.

"Hello Lily," I reply as she reaches me, panting slightly after running. "How come you're here?"

"I'm looking for a job!" she exclaims, far too bubbly for this early in the morning.

"Seems like everyone's looking for a job this week," I mutter, but Lily doesn't hear me.

"I've got an interview at the Department of Magical Sports, mum set it up for me," Lily was saying.

"Really? Well, good luck," I tell her, and I turn to go. But Lily's not done.

"Did you have a good birthday party? You were surprised, weren't you?" she asks.

"Oh, yes," I lie. "Very. No one told me anything."

Lily misses the sarcasm.

"Well, I better head off my interview," she sighs. "It's not for another half hour, but I need to find the right room… wish me luck!"

" I just did wish you - " I begin to say, but Lily's already running off, with a small wave of course.

Once Lily's vanished into the lifts, I continue with my very discrete search. I'm looking for him. The guy I'm going to kiss today. I'm not even sure where he works, but I know its at the Ministry, so he must be here, somewhere.

But there are so many people milling around, and its hard to distinguish people, especially when you're as small as I am. Hugo inherited dad's height. I really didn't. So now I must use my ears, to listen for a mention of his name. Or I could just look. I'm not _that_ small.

"Rose, where are you going?"

It's Robin. I wheel round to face him.

"Oh, hey Robin. Nice day, isn't it?"

"_Where are you going?"_

"I'm just taking a walk," I reply airily. "Why?"

"It's our Stealth and Tracking test tomorrow!" he shrieks, his voice all squeaky.

"Yes, Robin, I know. _Tomorrow,_" I say, thoroughly annoyed that he's cutting in to my precious searching time.

"We have to prepare today, you can't go wandering off!"

"There's something I have to do. It won't take long, I swear," I assure him.

"You're not kissing anyone again, are you?" he asks shrewdly.

"And why would I do that? No one else has given me a birthday present," I reply. "I won't be late, I promise."

Finally, I've convinced him. He nods, and wanders back towards the lifts. I return to my search.

"Hey – Lorcan! Over here!"

I start to grin. I've found him. Well, whoever just shouted Lorcan has anyway.

Lorcan's standing quite close to me, actually. Before he has time to go over and say hello to the person who called him, I step in front of him.

"Hello Lorcan," I say brightly.

"H – hello Rose," he says. We were never very close. He's always been closer to Roxanne, Louis and Lily.

"Have you heard from your brother recently?" I add.

"No," he says, and the expression on his face clearly says he has no idea where this is going.

"I'll explain everything after I've done it," I assure him, and I give him a very quick kiss on the lips. It would have been longer, but we're surrounded by Ministry of Magic workers. That would have been awkward.

"What was that about?" he splutters. And Lysander took it quite well. You'd hardly believe they were twins.

I explained everything to Lorcan, and by the end he was laughing about it. I'm not sure if that's insulting or not. I really do have to head back to the Auror office now, or Robin will kill me. I turn a corner, coming out on the corridor that leads to the office, and I stop dead.

"Hi Rose!" exclaims Lily.

"Yes, hello Rosie," says Scorpius.

"Don't you ever go home?" I ask him, outraged.

"Obviously," he mutters. "But that's beside the point. Lily here's been telling me about what you said at your birthday party. About the kissing challenge. Now I know why you really kissed Robin."

"I – I have to work now," I stutter, and I hurry past Lily and Scorpius.

So now he knows. Joy.

Hm, all these chapters are quite short… I'm no good at writing really long passages. Also, I just noticed something the other day when I was reading the epilogue of the Deathly Hallows. I'm sure everyone else realised years ago, but I only just noticed that Rose and Hugo don't say anything in the epilogue. That's really not important, but still… I wonder if they'll be given lines in the movie?


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews :) I'm glad you all like it so far. I'm going on holiday for a week, so I won't be updating for a while, but I'll try and get a chapter up as soon as I'm back.**

'_Hi, Lily.'_

'_Oh, hey Rose. How are you? Listen, I'm sorry about - '_

'_There's no need to apologise. It's not your fault, it's his.'_

'_Hm, I guess you're right. I hate him! If he ever comes near me again, I'll slap him!'_

I would have loved to have talked to Lily, and ask why she was talking to Scorpius, but I had to get to the office or Robin would have performed the Crucio curse on me without any hesitation. He's way more nervous about the Stealth and Tracking test than I am. Charlie reckons it's because he's not as smart as me, but I have to disagree. After all, Robin got the highest mark in our NEWT Charms. Ever.

I may not be nervous, but I still spent all of last night looking over potions and spells that I might need for the theory. It's the theory today, and the practical next week. I need a clear mind, and I need my mind to stay away from all things Malfoy related.

'Are you all right Rose?' Charlie had asked me, again, last night.

'I'm fine,' I lied. 'Just a little worried about the test, that's all.'

He seemed satisfied with that answer, and said no more on the subject.

Now, I'm hurrying down the atrium, and people are saying hello, and some of them are even wishing me good luck. If I wasn't so preoccupied with the coming test and Scorpius, I may have wondered how they knew I had a test today. However, right now, I don't really care.

'All ready for the test, Rose?' says Robin from behind me, and I nearly jump out of my skin in shock.

'I think so,' I reply. 'Do you think you're ready?'

Robin's face fell. 'Not really. I don't think I've revised nearly as much as I ought to have done. It's like being back at school.'

I have to agree with him there, though for a few different reasons.

We enter the lifts, and in no time at all we're entering the room off the side of the Auror office, where all the tests take place.

Good luck,' I whisper to Robin as he opens the door, but all he can do in return is nod. His face seems to have a green tinge to it.

Well, that wasn't so hard. Half the stuff I revised for didn't even get mentioned on the test. I think Robin, too, is feeling a lot better now that the test is over. Well, who wouldn't?

'How do you think that went, Rose?' he asks me as we return to the Auror office.

'All right,' is all I have time to say, because as soon as we entered the office, everyone began asking the exact same question. The best thing is, though, we get to leave early today. Which means I have time to visit Lily. I've already told Charlie I might be late home tonight.

Lily lives in a small flat above one of the shops in Diagon Alley. Well, I say small, but it's actually bigger than my flat. She's only been out Hogwarts for a year, and Ginny wanted her to stay at home for a while longer, but Lily couldn't wait to leave. Not because she hated her family; rather, she wanted to feel grown up.

'Hello Rose!' exclaims Lily when I finally reach her flat. 'How are you today? I'm so sorry about yesterday, you looked so scared!'

'Yeah, well I was a little surprised,' I admit as she leads me into the living room.

'Would you like a cup of tea?' she adds. 'I might not have much milk… wasn't expecting… but, never mind!'

I've no idea what Lily said after "cup of tea", so I just nod and say 'Yes, I would like a cup of tea,' and she hurries off. I'll get down to business in a minute.

'There,' says Lily, placing a steaming cup in front of me. 'I prefer coffee, personally, but there you are.'

'Thanks,' I mutter, and I leave the tea on the coffee table. It's too hot to drink yet. 'How did job hunting at the Ministry go?'

'I think it went brilliantly, actually,' she grins. 'They were quite impressed with me, and say they'll notify me by owl if I do get the job.'

'That's great,' I say earnestly. 'But why were you talking to Scorpius? Why did you tell him something so personal? I thought you hated him after he went off with Carin?'

'Well, I did,' Lily replies after a long silence. 'It's just… I ran into him, and we started talking, and I – I thought it was quite an interesting conversation starter. But then you showed up, and he said something about it, and you got all upset and stormed into the Auror office.'

'An interesting conversation starter?' I repeat. 'Lily, do you fancy him again?'

The look on Lily's face plainly says "Who wouldn't?", but she says nothing.

'Thanks for having me over,' I say, standing up. The tea's still steaming on the coffee table. 'See you soon, I expect.'

I walk out into the kitchen, so that I can use the Floo Network to get home, but someone's already in the fireplace, green flames licking about them. It's a man, though I don't know who he is. He stops dead at the sight of me. I turn round, and Lily's framed in the doorway, her mouth hanging open.

'I told you to go ages ago!' she hissed.

'You obviously don't like Scorpius that much, do you Lily?' I whisper, then head over to the man. I reach out, grab his shoulders, force his head out of the fireplace, and kiss him. It's not the nicest experience I've ever had. His mouth is full of hot ash. We break apart, and I smile up at him.

'Don't bother calling.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! I'm back from my holiday :) In case you were wondering (though you probably weren't), I only went to the South of England and then it was my birthday. And then I went to Germany for 11 days. And then the flight home got cancelled :( But I'm back, and no more excuses :)**

_'Rose? Are you alright? You look like you've been crying...'_

_'Of course I haven't been crying. I have no reason to.'_

_'But he was teasing you again today... pretty badly actually.'_

_'I know, Al, but I've learnt to ignore him. All Malfoys have to be ignored, it seems.'_

In truth, I'm not too sure who it was that I kissed at Lily's house. Lily wouldn't tell me his name, and I didn't recognise him at any rate. So I best just forget about it. Anyway, today is the seventh day of my challenge, which means that tomorrow I will be one week down. It feels like it's been months since it was my birthday.

'Have you got any other kissing candidates for me Charlie?' I asked him dully after I got back from Lily's house. He promised me he'd try and think of someone, but as Charlie doesn't really hang out with anyone, my hopes aren't high. I may have to resrot to finding random guys at work and giving them a quick kiss. Plenty of them say hello to me, so it shouldn't be too hard.

Today is just an ordinary day of Auror training, no big tests at all, though Robin is still panicking. He thinks he's failed completely.

'I messed it up, I messed it up, what do you think happens if we fail really badly? Will we get kicked out? Can we retake it? I can't think of any other career path I'd want to take, I am so worried - '

'Robin,' I say at last. 'Please don't put these thoughts into my mind. I have enough to worry about at the minute.'

I think I may have snapped slightly, because all of a sudden Robin's looking at me sternly.

'I think, Rose,' he says slowly. 'That you should be focusing on your work life, not your love one! There will be time for that sort of thing when you've completed your training!'

He's probably right. But I can't stop thinking about it - Lily, Scorpius, my challenge. Everything seems to have been against me this week, and probably the next two weeks as well.

Lily's at the Ministry again today, but, I'm ashamed to say that I've been trying to avoid her. So far I haven't seen Scorpius, so I doubt that they're together at the minute, catching up in more than one way. I've been focusing on my work all morning, but now that it's my lunch break I will focus on one thing and one thing only - finding an inncent looking guy and completely messing him up. Okay, I didn't mean that last part. I just need to find one that says hello to me every morning, and that will be a piece of cake, I know it will.

The thought's barely crossed my mind when I see one of the men who always greets me. I remember him from school; he was two years above me, and played as keeper on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. His name's William Wyburn.

'Hello!' I say brightly as he comes within kssing distance.

'Oh, hello Rose!' he says in just as cheerful a tone. 'Robin told me about your test yesterday. How'd it go?'

'Fine, fine,' I say, waving my arm about as though to say it was no big deal. 'Robin doesn't seem to think so, for some reason.'

William laughs, and then I act. My hand goes around his neck and I lightly push is head down to be level with mine, and we kiss. Seconds later, he pushes me away, and he looks horrified.

'I'm sorry,' I mutter. 'I can explain, honestly I can. you can ask James or Fred to back me up, I know you satyed in contact with them after school. Come on -'

By the time I've finsihed explaining to William and he's laughed about the whole thing, I feel that I've explained so many times that I have it word perfect. At least something's gone right today. Of course, all I need is for Lily and Scorpius to appear and mess it up. I realy don't want to be mad at Lily; she can flirt with who she likes, even if the guy in question has already broken her heart. As for me, I don't forgive and forget as easily. But there's a small part of me that's worrying about something - why am I really mad at Lily? Because she's letting Scorpius get close to her again, which is pretty stupid really? Or is that I'm... that I'm jealous. There's a part of me that thinks back to sixth year, and how Scorpius dated me, then Lily. I was his first choice. But I shouldn't be jealous. I have Charlie.

'Hey Charlie, I'm back,' I call, and no sooner have I said it he appears and bounds over to me, looking all excited, yet slightly apprehensive at the same time.

'What are you so happy about?' I ask him.

'One of my friends is coming to dinner tomorrow!' he replies.

'That's great! Who?'

This is when he stops smiling, and looks slightly uncomfortable.

'Well, I am sorry, first of all,' he mutters. 'It was the best I could do... and I thought, well, it's only a second of your life...'

_'Who is it Charlie?'_

'Lori Turner.'

'Oh.'

**To be updated... soon! :D Thanks for all the reviews/favourites/alerts, by the way :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the long wait! I am very inconsistent, but I will always update! :) Thanks for all the reviews/favourites/alerts.**

'_Rose Weasley, get up now!'_

'_Go away Lori…'_

'_I will not leave this room until you get out of bed, Miss Weasley! You must face the world! Do not let Scorpius get you down like this!'_

'_But he has!'_

'_No he hasn't, Rose, not if you stand tall and ignore him! You are better than Scorpius Malfoy!'_

'_Ok, ok, Lori, I'm coming!'_

It's been a week since my birthday. Why can't it be two weeks? Or, even better, three weeks? I don't supposeit will make a difference on the whole Scorpius problem… but is it even a problem anymore? I've heard nothing from Scorpius or Lily since I went to her flat, but that was only two days ago. I can't let it bother me. If Lily wants to get her heart broken again, that's her business. Scorpius won't upset me ever again.

Besides, I have a slightly bigger problem. Charlie's done his best, but I'm not sure if I can bring myself to kiss Lori. Not only is she one of my best friends from school, but she's… well that's part of the problem. She. The things I will do for money.

'Do you want me to cook tonight?' I ask Charlie.

'That's ok, thanks,' Charlie assures me with a nervous laugh. My cooking isn't the best in the world, I have to admit.

'I've never dreaded seeing Lori more,' I tell him. 'And it would be a shame if she gets so freaked out she'll never talk to us again. She's been such a good friend.'

'You don't know, she might bring her boyfriend.'

'She doesn't have a boyfriend, Charlie,' I almost sigh in exasperation. He's so sweet, but he never listens to me.

'Rosie!' Lori exclaims when I open the door on her that night. She's tied her auburn hair up in a bun, and worn some dress robes for the occasion. 'I haven't seen you in ages, I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your birthday party… it was such a good idea of Charlie's, we need to do this more often… did you have a good birthday? What did you get?'

Lori hasn't changed at all since school. She pauses for breath, and I seize the opportunity to invite her properly into the flat so that I can close the front door on the cold night air drifting in.

'Well, I got a lot of things, really,' I reply when she's seated herself on the sofa in the lving room. Her eyes swivel around the hastily tidied room before coming to rest on me again. 'I got quite a bit of money from my Great Aunt Jennie.'

'Really? Why haven't you spent it on moving to somewhere nicer?' she demands in a typical Lori way.

'I haven't got it yet,' I mutter, but I don't plunge into an explanation, because Lori would then ask if that was why she was invited. And I don't what her to feel she's been used.

'What's up Rosie?' she asks me. 'Why do you look so miserable? Charlie getting on your nerves?'

'No,' I assure. 'I've had a tough week. I had an exam as part of my Auror training, it's like being back at school! And... and I saw Scorpius again.'

'Oh, Rose, you didn't let him get to you did you?' Lori says, and she sounds sympathetic. 'What's he said?'

'Actually, it's mostly what he's done,' I admit, and I go into a long speech about what he, and Lily, have done this week, but it is a whispered speech. I don't what Charlie overhearing.

'To be honest, your cousin has always used her heart before her head, hasn't she?' Lori says when I've finished. 'You shouldn't let it worry you. They'll go out, then split up, and Lily will be upset for a while, but she'll get over it. Of course, I'd be worried if it was you,' Lori laughs. 'You'd be crying for weeks... you're not jealous of Lily, are you Rose?'

'No,' I say, maybe a little too quickly. Lori raises an eyebrow at me, at any rate.

'Good,' she says. 'Because you could do a lot worse than Charlie. At least he can cook,' she adds as the smell of dinner wafts into the living room.

'Dinner's ready!' Charlie calls.

'That was fun,' smiles Lori at the end of the evening. 'We have to do this again sometime, and you can come over to my house next time - no offence, but it's a bit nicer than yours. Well, bye - '

'Hang on, Lori,' I say suddenly.

As she looks at me, waiting for me to do something, a voice comes from the living room.

'Anyone home?'

'I'll get that,' Charlie says, disappearing into the living room.

'Yes, Rose?' Lori says.

I give her a very quick kiss on the edge of the lips, as though I went for her cheek and missed.

'It was lovely to see you,' I say brightly. Lori is looking at me disbelievingly. 'I will explain everything in a letter. See you soon!'

Lori smiles uncertainly, and exits the house. I close the door and turn to see Charlie standing in the living room doorway.

'Rose, it's for you,' he says. 'It's Lily.'

This cannot be good. I enter the room, and Lily's face is in the fireplace, a guilty grin on her face.

'Hi, Rose,' she says. 'Um... I know what you said when you came over, and maybe I should have listened, but I thought I should tell you first... I'm dating Scorpius again.'


	9. Chapter 9

Hello again! Thank you for all the reviews/favourites/alerts! I now have a computer in my room, so that will probably mean I update more often :) So happy…

'_Um, Rose, don't look now, but Scorpius is coming this way…'_

'_I can look if I want, can't I? I don't care what he might say about me anymore, I'm above him.'_

'_Hey, Rose! Your cousin Roxy's pretty fit. Do you think you would burst into tears if I went out with another of your cousins?'_

'_Langlock!' _

I lied to Charlie. I told him I had a headache, had a hangover after last night, and that I wouldn't be leaving the bedroom on Sunday for anything. He reminded me that if I didn't kiss anyone today, I would fail in my mission for the money. I shouted at him, asked him if all he cared about was the money, if he didn't care if I was sick. He didn't reply for a while. He's been sat on the chair in our bedroom for most of the day while I lie under the covers of the bed, refusing any potion or spell that could help with a hangover, because that's not really why I feel bad. Of course not.

'Rose, does this… does this have anything to do with what Lily told you last night?' he asks me finally.

I throw off the covers with such force that it disturbs a layer of dust that was forming on the bedstead.

'Did you hear our conversation?' I demand.

Charlie frowns. 'No, I thought it would be rude to. Why, what did she tell you?'

Should I tell him? He might get suspicious. Well after the way I've acted today, you would have to be as dense as Hugo to not be suspicious.

'Nothing particularly important,' I mutter. 'Really, just some talk about boy troubles she's been having. It has nothing to do with this hangover.'

Charlie opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it again. Someone's knocking on the door. He stands up and leaves me in the room, with nothing but my thoughts for company.

I shouldn't be falling apart like this because Lily has a boyfriend who happens to be my ex from five years ago. Just one boyfriend. We went out for six months, but we'd been friends since first year. Well, I say friends; it was more of Scorpius coming to talk to me and Al whenever he'd had an argument with his "best friend" Tim Roferd, which was about once a week. I need to pull myself together. I can hear Charlie inviting whoever's at the door to come inside for a cup of tea. I'll go say hello. Prove that when my cousin starts dating my first crush, my whole world doesn't stop turning.

James, Albus, Fred and Hugo have come to visit. All four of them are squashed up on the sofa while Charlie is in the kitchen making various cups of tea and coffee.

'Hi guys,' I say, smiling brightly and hoping my hair isn't too much of a mess after spending the morning under the covers. 'To what do we owe this pleasure?'

'We came to see you, mostly,' Al replies. 'Lily told James and me about her new boyfriend.'

'And we came to see if you were okay,' James adds.

'Really? That's unusually thoughtful of you,' I say, eyebrows raised, and I don't miss the guilty grin exchanged by Fred and James.

'Well?' Hugo says. 'How are you doing?'

'Fine,' I reply.

'Charlie says you've been in bed all day,' he tells me.

'Well, I have been better,' I sigh. 'But it's none of you're business, really.'

'You're my sister!' Hugo exclaims.

'Okay, okay,' I say. 'I'm doing fine. I'll get over it.'

'So you don't have feelings for him?' James cuts in.

I shake my head. 'I went out with him five years ago! It was nothing, really. We haven't even spoken properly since I did that hex on him.'

Fred stifles a laugh.

'Fred, James,' I say suddenly, thinking of a way to change the subject. 'Can you remember what I told you at my birthday party?'

'Not really,' James replies, but Fred nods.

'About the twenty one kisses, right?' he asks me.

'Yeah, that's the one,' I say, and I kiss Fred quickly on the lips. He looks vaguely surprised, but says nothing. Well, that should keep Charlie happy. Speaking of Charlie… where is he with the tea and coffee?

He's standing in the doorway of the living room, holding the tray full of steaming cups, a look of shock on his face. And not because of the fact I just kissed my cousin.

'Is that Lily told you last night? That she's dating Scorpius Malfoy again?' he asks me. Seeing no way out of this, I nod. 'So is that why you've been in bed all day? You're upset they're dating again?'


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello one and all! Thanks for all the reviews/favourites/alerts. 50 reviews! :D Thank you so much.**

'_Hey Rose, I have some good news for you!'_

'_What is it, Hugo?'_

'_Scorpius has got detention, not you, and Professor Banks understands that you've been having a tough time recently.'_

'_Good grief, Hugo, you didn't tell him about my love life, did you? I don't want the Potions teacher to know about my love life…'_

'_I may have told him one or two things… But if I hadn't, you would've got detention!'_

'_Hugo!'_

'So why… are you so bothered about this? Remind me again.'

I turn round to face Charlie as my hand reaches for the handle of the front door. He doesn't have to be at work today, but today is very important for me. Today is my stealth and tracking test, the practical one, and I can't let anything else enter my thoughts.

'I told you yesterday,' I reply, trying to keep my voice steady. 'You must remember what happened in our sixth year, with me and Scorpius and Lily. I just think it's a bit stupid of Lily to go out with him again. It will never last. I'm worried for Lily, and mad at Scorpius.'

'You could tell me the truth, you know,' he says. When I say nothing, he turns away from me and adds. 'Good luck with your test today.'

I can't think of anything more to say, so I open the door, step outside, and disapparate.

Yesterday I had to explain that the reason I had been in bed all day was _not _because Lily and Scorpius were dating, but the reason I had given him, though that was what Lily had told me the night before. But then James had to pipe up at that point and tell Charlie that I was bothered about it. So I told him that I was worried for Lily. Which isn't a complete lie.

But today is important for my career, so I can't focus on any problems at home. Which Robin is keen to remind me of.

'Stealth and tracking test today!' he exclaims as soon as he sees me. 'You ready Rose?'

'I think so,' I reply. 'You?'

'Oh, I hope so,' he says. 'We better get up there, though I think I have to go first. Good luck Rose!'

'Good luck Robin!' I call as he rushes off. I start to make my way towards the lifts, barely registering once again the calls of greeting and good luck from people I barely know. I start to go over all the spells that could come in useful over and over again in my head, all the potions that might help. This is should be easy. It's just like what dad said along time ago. _"Thank God you inherited your mother's brains." _Then he told me not to get too friendly with Scorpius Malfoy. Well, I'm not anymore.

'Good luck today, Rosie.'

Oh great, Scorpius is here again. I wheel round to face him. He's just behind me, smirking, like he always does.

'Please don't talk to me,' I snap.

'Why not? Are you jealous of Lily? Do you think you should be dating me?' he asks, taking a step closer.

'No,' I reply. 'I'm just angry at you for messing around with her! I'm worried that you'll dump her – '

'For you?' he cuts in, still smiling. 'Of course. I'm sorry I used your cousin, Rose, but I couldn't think of another way to make you realise you still fancy me.'

'Still fancy you?' I snort. 'You're a bit conceited, aren't you? What are you doing here, anyway?'

'I've got a job at the Ministry,' he replies. 'And I came over here to wish you good luck and see how you reacted to Lily's news. Now I know you still fancy me. And, can I just add, Rose – '

He puts his lips to my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. Oh, this is not good, this is not good –

'I still fancy you too,' he whispers.

He draws away from my ear, and I open my mouth, determined to say something spiteful, to tell him to go away, to say that I have to get to my test now, but no words seem to want to form. And then he kisses me. And I kiss back. His touch is soft, his lips are gentle, and this could be the best kiss I've ever had.

'Rose, I think you better... ah.'


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for all the reviews/favourites/alerts! **

Scorpius and I break slowly apart. His eyes find mine, but I quickly turn away so that I am now facing the surprised and slightly bewildered face of Robin Byram.

'What did you say Robin?' I ask, trying to keep my voice as level as possible.

'Um, I think you should get inside the office,' he stammers. 'They like you to turn up half an hour before your exam. But you don't have to come for another five minutes if you're… er… busy…'

He falters and leaves his sentence hanging, his face bright red. I want to tell him not be embarrassed, but then Scorpius speaks.

'Thanks Robin. I think Rose and I are done for the day,' he says, and he walks off. After he's disappeared round the corner I follow Robin into the office in a bit of a daze. This is not the frame of my mind I should be in when I'm about to do an exam. Everything about that kiss was wrong and right at the same time, for different reasons. I shouldn't have kissed Scorpius back, for a start. I should have… I don't know, slapped him or stupefied him or done the full body bind spell, petrificus totalus. But that was probably the best kiss I've ever had, and I've had a lot over the past week or so. I think I still fancy Scorpius. But what can I do about that? He would dump Lily, no problem – he may even be doing that right now – but I can't just drop Charlie. He's so sweet, and I love the times I have with him.

Of course, there's always the problem that Scorpius doesn't actually like me, that he's just messing around with me. That's a very good possibility. Maybe I should ask him next time I see him. Be blunt and to the point about it. I need to get this sorted out, and fast.

I could tell Charlie that I kissed Scorpius today, and yet the thought makes my insides squirm and tighten unpleasantly. Normally I wouldn't have a problem telling Charlie who my victim of the day was, but after all that fuss yesterday… it would look too suspicious.

'Robin Byram, please come forward for your test,' says a cool female voice, and I jump at the sound. I'd forgotten Robin was with me. I just have time to mutter 'Good Luck' before a very green-faced Robin leaves the room. Which leaves me alone with thoughts that have now turned to various spells and potions, and a desperate wish that what's just happened won't affect my exam.

'Rose Weasley.'

At last my name has been called. Robin re-entered the room about five minutes ago, but he said nothing. He still looked a bit green, actually. He simply nodded at me and walked through the door that leads to the main Auror Office.

I stand up as my name is called, try to pull myself together, and step into the room.

'How do you think you did?' Robin asks me nervously while we sit in the Auror Office, an hour after I finished the test. I thought it went alright actually. They were pretty impressed right near the end when I demonstrated the Muffliato spell. They hadn't heard of it before.

'Okay,' I shrug. 'You?'

'It could've been worse,' he sighs. 'In fact, I think I did quite well for once!'

'That's good,' I tell him. 'You're getting better at this whole confidence in yourself thing – '

'Why were you kissing Scorpius this morning?'

I open and close my mouth a few times like a goldfish. Robin really is getting better at the confidence thing.

'Oh, Robin, don't you remember what I told you about that twenty one kisses challenge I have to do?' I say with a small laugh. 'Do you remember when I kissed you?'

'I didn't know it was a challenge,' he mumbles. 'That does make me feel better though, because I was worried you actually fancied me… or Scorpius… and that would be bad, since you're going out with Charlie!'

'Am I? I had no idea,' I say sarcastically, and Robin laughs.

'I was wondering when you'd finally get home!' Charlie laughs the moment I'm through the door that evening. 'How'd the test go?'

'It was good,' I reply, and Charlie doesn't press me for a more detailed answer. I can smell tonight's dinner. It's nearly ready.

'So who did you kiss today?' he adds as he disappears from view into the kitchen.

I bite my lip, wondering what to say. 'A… guy at work,' I say after a moment's silence.

'A guy at work? Are you getting so desperate you don't even know who you kiss anymore?' Charlie asks, and I can hear his laughter from the kitchen.

'Of course not!' I snap. 'Do you really think I'd do something like that? Just because I don't tell you doesn't mean I don't know!'

And then I stride into our bedroom and slam the door behind me.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello :) I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I really am rubbish, aren't I? Anyway, thanks for all the reviews/favourites/alerts, and on with the story!**

'_So, Rose…'_

'_Yes, Charlie?'_

'_Are… are we serious now?'_

'_What do you mean?'_

'_I mean, is this is a serious relationship we're in? You still seem pretty hung up on Scorpius. '_

'_Oh. Well, yeah, I think we are serious, don't you? The only reason I have to think about Scorpius is when I think of how horrible he's been to me. And how much nicer you are.'_

The front door swings open, revealing the person I'm so desperate to see. For a while I was shocked that he now lives in a pokey flat so similar to mine and Charlie's, until I realise that this is the most practical place for him to live in.

'Hi,' I say.

'Rose? What are you doing here? Still thinking about that kiss yesterday, and already coming back for more? It's eight in the morning; couldn't you have waited a little while longer?'

'Oh Scorpius, why do you have to joke about everything?' I demand. 'I'm here because I want to talk to you.'

'At eight in the morning?' he asks me, as though he can tell there's something wrong.

These words seem to have an incredible effect on my façade; it makes it crumble as fast as a bolt of lightning.

'I didn't know where else to go,' I sigh. 'Can I come in?'

He nods, and I enter his hallway.

'Has something happened with Charlie?' he says as soon as I've collapsed on to his sofa. I merely nod in reply.

'I understand. Tell me when you're ready,' he adds, and he sits on the chair next to the sofa.

I wonder if I should tell him everything, including the bit about the challenge. I suppose I need to tell him what's happened with Charlie, but last night still seems to be a messy blur. We fought, we argued, I know that much. He… thought I was being far too secretive, he thought I was hiding something. Had I fallen in love with someone else, he had asked me. And then I… my heart sinks. And then I had retorted, 'Someone else? Who says I was in love with _you_ so as to be in love with someone else?'

I groan. Scorpius looks up.

'Ready to talk?'

I nod again, and sit up. My eyes meet his, and for a second I hesitate, before I tell him everything. And I mean everything. The letter from my great aunt, all the men I've kissed recently, the anxiety I've been feeling over the fact that I seem to have feelings for him, Scorpius, again, and the fact that I stormed out of my flat last night after a big argument with Charlie.

'So I need to know, Scorpius,' I sigh. 'I need to know if you feel anything for me. Otherwise I may very well have just thrown away my boyfriend for no good reason.'

Scorpius takes my hand. I flinch slightly, but I don't remove my hand from underneath his.

'I can't promise anything big, but I do feel something for you,' he assures me. 'Surely you know that? And surely you know I'm not the kind of guy who commits very easily? That's probably why you like me so much.'

I allow myself a small smile. 'You are so full of yourself, Scorpius Malfoy. It's because you're a Pureblood.'

Scorpius responds by kissing me, though I don't immediately kiss back. It doesn't take me long, however, and after we break apart I feel better.

'Oh, and don't call me a Pureblood,' Scorpius adds. 'That's prejudiced.'

I almost laugh. Almost.

I've spent the whole day at Scorpius's flat. The sun is setting, and Scorpius is in the kitchen, attempting to cook dinner. I called in sick this morning, which is possibly the worst thing I have ever done. What would my Mum say if she knew I was skipping a day at work because of something as shallow as boy problems? She'd be ashamed of me, and I'm slightly ashamed of myself at that.

'Rose?'

I jump violently off the sofa in surprise, bang my head on the ceiling and yell, 'Ow,' which causes Scorpius to come running in to the living room, wand drawn.

'What are you doing here?' he asks the man who has just apparated into the room.

'That's odd. I thought you'd ask for my name first,' says the man, half hidden in the shadows of the room.

'I know who you are,' snaps Scorpius. 'You're Teddy Lupin.'

Teddy sighs, and steps into the light. 'It was the turquoise hair that gave me away, wasn't it?'

'Just a bit,' Scorpius replies. 'What are you doing here?'

'I came to see Rose.'

'But how did you know I was here?' I ask.

'Well, I've been looking since about ten o'clock this morning, ever since Al contacted me and told me that Charlie had turned up at his and Lynne's house. Apparently you two had argued, and you'd stormed off, and Charlie had no idea where you'd gone. So, since I'm such a good Auror, Al wanted me to find you,' Teddy explains. 'Do you want to come with me to Al's house? Charlie wants to talk to you.'

I glance at Scorpius, but his face is expressionless.

'I don't know,' I say. 'Maybe I should go, just to apologise to him for what I said yesterday.'

Teddy nods.

'Do you mind if I kiss you Teddy?' I add, partly because I'm determined to still complete my challenge, partly because I need more time to decide what to do. 'You were at my party, weren't you? So you know why I want to kiss you?'

'Yes, of course,' Teddy replies, and then he grins despite the seriousness of the situation. 'Just don't tell Victoire.'

I nod, and I give him a quick kiss on the lips. I'm fleetingly reminded of when my cousins and I were little, and when Victoire, Dominique, Roxanne, Molly and Lily would have gladly faced Voldemort for the chance to kiss Teddy.

'So are you coming?' Teddy prompts me.

'Yeah,' I say, glancing at Scorpius. 'I'll try to come back as soon as I can, okay?'

'Sure,' Scorpius says, and he leaves the room.


End file.
